Animal-trap.



PATENTEDJAN. a, 1907.

J. A. WARD. ANIMAL TRAP. APPLICATION FILED I'BB.21, 1906.

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' ,AYN MA L-TRA Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented. Jan, s, 190.7.

Anolication filed February 21, 1996. Serial No. 3023201. 9

particular to ,adevice which will operate to .kill a numberof 'animalsorbirds, asthe case may be, and which will automatically reset itselfaftereach operationand eject the victim in order to prevent its interferencewith the subsequent operation of the device.

The object of my invention is toprovide a device of this character at asmall cost which willbe simpleand reliable and which when properlysupplied with power and baited will. automatically operate-and resetitself without any attendance Whatever .until the power is eXhausted,;when it will bernerely necessary to, supply the devieewith additionalpower-su,ch, for example, as the winding of a spring.

With theseobj'ect'sin view I have shown. in the accompanying drawingstheconstruction of a device embodying the principles of my invention, inwhich similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete device, part ofthe casing being broken away to show the mechanism contained therein.Fig. 2 is a plan View, the cover being removed, and Fig. 3 is afragmentary elevation with part of the casing in section and being on anenlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 1

tend to the bait or adjust the mechanism.

At the lower edge of the doorway 2 is a door 6, which is pivoted at 7.Extending from side to side of the casing 1 is a pin or pivot 8, uponwhich oscillates a tread 9, the arrangement being such that when thelonger arm of this tread is slightly raised the door- 6 will fall to asubstantially horizontal position and :be nearly parallel with the tread9, as shown in Fig. 1; but when ,the ilong arm is. slightly depressedthe short. arm 10 thereof will closethe do'or6, asclearly 'showniin Fig.

3. The operating mechanism :is here shown as consisting of a shaft 11,ournaled in the sidesof the-casing, 'to whichis secured .one end of aspiral, spring 12, the other'end there of being secured to the casing'bya pin 13, and this spring may be put. under tension by rotating theshaft '11 bya crankorkey 1 4.

Keyed upon this, shaft is a cylinder 15,:hav ing a cam-groove '16 aroundits periphery and also. having on. one end a plurality of. de tents orbevelrstops 17. Parallel to the shaft 11 is 'a'bar 18 upon which'isivotedat 19 an oscillating striker-arm 20, 't e shorter end of which"works in the cam-groove l6, and thelonger arm ofwhich is provided withmeans to aid in killing, the animal'as, for instance, a hammer 21This'last-mentioned member is positioned, to sweep over and above thetread 9, as clearly shown i111Fig. 1.

The tripping mechanism consists of-apivoted arm 22, the free end ofwhich rests normally under the longer .arm of the tread 9- and which.isheld in engagement therewith by'a weak spiral spring'23 near its:pivotal support, and thisarm 22 carries a right-angular pivotedbayonet-catch 24, which coacts with a short trigger-arm 25, the free endof which cooperates with the stops 17, as shown in Fig. 1. This arm 25is also provided with a weak spiral spring 26 near its pivotal support.

From the foregoing the operation of my trap will be easily understood.Upon a rotation of the shaft 11 by the crank 14 the spring 12 is putunder tension and the trigger 25, by coacting with the stops 17 retainsthe spring under the desired tension. The catch 24 is held by thetrigger 25, and thereby raises the arm 22 into contact with the treadloo 9, which latter is substantially horizontal, and the trap is set andready for operation, as shown in Fig. 1.

When an animal or bird enters the doorway 2 and travels inwardly alongthe tread 9 1o 5 trigger 25-from the stops 17 by pulling said triggerdownward and permits a-rapid rotation of the cylinder. As this cylinderrotates the cam-groove16 actuates the pivoted striker 20, which killsthe animal, it being noticed that the door 6 is automatically closed asthe tread 9 is depressed, as shown in 3. When the dead animal drops fromthe tread 9, thesame is elevated to a'subStantially horizontal positionand the trigger 25, together with the catch 24 and arm 22, are raisedEbythe small spiral springs 23 and 26 and the cylinder 15 is arrested bythe neXt stop 17 coming in contact with the trigger 25, and the trap isthus automatically reset and ready for subsequent operation. It isobvious that the trap will continue to operate as often as an animalenters on the tread 9 and that it will automatically reset itselfuntilthe spring -12 is unwound, when it will be .merely necessary torewind the same by the crank :14. p

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent* 1 In an animal-trap, the combination of a pivotedtread, a cam, a spring for actuating the cam, a striker-arm actuated bythe can, a trigger for normally restraining the move ment. of the cam,and'releasing means for' said trigger actuated by the tread.

2. In an animaLtrap, the combination of a tread, a pivoted striker armmovable thereupon,a normally operative cam device for actuating thearm,means for restraining the operation of the cam device, and means wherebythe tread may release said restraining means.

3. In an animaltrap, the combination of a spring actuated cylinderhaving a camgroove, a trigger coacting therewith, tripping mechanism,and a striker-arm operable by the cam.

4. In an animal-trap, the combination of a cam, a striker-arm actuatedby the cam, means for operating the cam, means for normally restrainingthe operation of the cam, and a tripping device for releasing therestraining device.

5. In an animal-trap, the combination of a cam-cylinder having aplurality of stops, means for rotating the cam-cylinder, a pivotedtrigger-arm coacting With the stops for restraining the movement of thecam, a striker-arm operated by the cam, and a latch for releasing thetrigger-arm.

6. In an animahtrap, the combination of a spring-actuated cam-cylinderhaving a plu rality of stops, a pivoted striker-arm operated by thecam-cylinder, a pivoted springpressed trigger coacting with the stopsfor normally restraining the movement of the cam, and a pivoted latchfor releasing the trigger.

7. In an animal-trap, the combination of a pivoted tread, a pivoted doorcoacting therewith, a spring-actuated cam-cylinder provided with stops,a pivoted striker-arm coacting with said cain-cy]inder, a triggercoacting with said stops, and a pivoted. arm having a catch coactingwith said tread and said trigger substantially as, and for the purposespecified.

In testi' eony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN ALBERT WARD. Witnesses:

C. L. BEOKLEY, J. MANGAN.

